Who We Are

• One of Canada’s largest environmental NGOs
• Originated in 1962 from fish and wildlife conservation movement
• “To conserve and inspire the conservation of Canada’s wildlife and habitats for the use and enjoyment for all”
• Freshwater, marine, and terrestrial programs

National Fish Passage Program

Increased freshwater focus on connectivity and fish passage:

• Chinook salmon research in Upper Yukon River
• American eel research and advocacy
• Fish passage advocacy and barrier campaigns
• Watershed Connectivity Restoration Planning framework in BC, AB, PEI, and NS
• Spatial tools to assess watershed connectivity and prioritize barriers for removal
• Development of the Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database (CABD)

What is the conservation issue?

What we know:

• Structures like dams, culverts, and dykes block the movement of fish (and other species) and energy/matter
• Barriers to connectivity are extensive across Canada
• Barrier removal needed to restore access to important habitat and ecosystem functions
• Restoration projects are expensive

What is the conservation issue?

What we don’t know:

• How many barriers exist in Canada?
• How much habitat is not accessible?
• How do we identify the most important barriers to maximize benefits?

We need comprehensive information to answer these questions

Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database (CABD)

Project Background

• CABD = central pillar of tools to support CWF’s fish passage program
• Identify and prioritize barriers for restoration
• Inspired TNC, NCC, and local/regional initiatives (e.g., Adopt a Stream, Fishwerks)

A Roadmap for Improving Connectivity

• TNC’s Northeast Aquatic Connectivity Assessment Project:
  • A database as a partnership building tool
  • Brings groups together and centralizes efforts
  • Led to significant improvements to fish passage and connectivity

Penobscot River Restoration (Maine)

• Partnership between government, Indigenous groups, NGOs, and industry
• Two dam removals and one nature-like fishway
• 2018: 2.8 million+ river herring returned

Importance of Collaboration and Engagement

• Potential uses of CABD extend beyond CWF’s needs
• Launched external engagement to get input on development
• User interviews
  • What type of work could the CABD support?
  • What information would be useful?
  • How would users like to access the data?
• Working Group and Technical Advisory Committee

Data Gathering and Sharing

• CABD relies on existing repositories
  • Local in scale
  • Single barrier types
  • No standardization
• CWF provides national coordination without duplicating effort
• Establish reciprocal relationships
  • Share data back to providers

What will the CABD be used for?

1. Habitat status assessments and reporting (watershed → national scales)
2. Informing management and regulatory decisions
3. Restoration planning and prioritization
4. Research and monitoring
5. Education and public outreach

Barrier Data

• Standardized data structure through engagement
• Current barrier types:
  • Dams (includes some other structures for now)
  • Waterfalls
  • Fishways (inherited CANFISHPASS from the Cooke lab at Carleton University)
• Next steps:
  • Stream crossings (road, rail, trail)
  • Lateral barriers (dykes/levees, embankments, etc.)
  • Others?

 

Barrier Data Processing

Five main steps:

1. Data source compilation
2. De-duplication
3. Spatial attribute mapping
4. Geolocation (including snapping to hydro network)
5. Non-spatial information collection

Attribute mapping

1. Aggregate attributes from existing spatial sources
2. Identification of non-spatial data sources (search engines)

CABD v1.0

Dams Waterfalls Fishways

36,799 22,194 408

CABD v1.0

Are the CABD v1.0 datasets perfect? No!

Phase 1 = compile, deduplicate, and standardize existing datasets

Phase 2 = fill data gaps

CABD v1.0

Are the CABD v1.0 datasets perfect? No!

• Data gaps exist (structures and attributes)
• But, most comprehensive and standardized datasets available nationally
• Not a one-time effort → living datasets
• CWF, partners, and practitioners across the country can help contribute data and updates

Demo!

Next Steps

• Continue information gathering
  • Phase 1: Compile existing datasets (including stream-crossings)
  • Phase 2: Begin to fill data gaps (with input from citizen scientists!)
• Expand features in the web tool
• Develop additional tools (e.g., standardized barrier assessment protocols, mobile apps)

National Stream Crossing Assessment Protocols

Develop national, life-stage and species agnostic stream crossing assessment protocol to:

1. Provide a protocol that can be applied across Canada, particularly where regional protocols don’t exist
2. Inform data structure for stream crossings in CABD

National Stream Crossing Assessment Protocols

• Hosted workshop Feb/Mar 2023
• Learn, share, and promote collaboration and coordination

Outcome: form working group to finalize collaborative national protocols

Connectivity Assessment and Reporting

• DFO’ status of fish and fish habitat reporting
  • What is the state of fish habitat connectivity in Canada?
  • DFO has recognized CABD as data source to assess connectivity
• Hosted ‘Advancing Approaches for Assessing Freshwater Connectivity in Canada’ workshop with ECCC, DFO
• CABD can help centralize, coordinate, and modernize reporting

Connectivity Planning and Prioritization

• Watershed Connectivity Restoration Planning framework
• Collaborative planning of strategic barrier restoration
• Applied in BC, AB, PEI, and NS
• Guide document for connectivity planning in Canada
• CABD supports variable-scale planning work

Supporting Policy and Management Decisions

• CABD contributes to multilateral initiatives to improve policy and management for conservation and restoration of connectivity:
  • Connectivity Working Group (Pathway to Canada Target 1)
  • National Program for Ecological Corridors (PC)
  • Freshwater connectivity indicator for protected areas in Canada
• Open data source to inform regulatory decisions under federal and provincial acts (e.g., Fisheries Act)